I Possessed The Immoral Empress - Chapter 34

‘Did the two of them share a meal?’

As Henri returned to the palace with his duties, he was plagued by a sense of discomfort. 

Though it didn’t possess the vivid green hue it once had, the emotions that had slowly begun to take shape were quietly gaining power in one corner of Henry’s heart, no longer entirely under Felio’s influence.

Henri found this unidentified emotion to be incredibly unsettling.

He had lived in a world of black and white for a long time.

Most of the people around him were inhabitants of the world of black.

Those who sought to kill him depending on the circumstances, those who worshipped him unconditionally, and even those who sought to manipulate him.

Ermedeline clearly belonged to the world of black among them.

Only Valliere lived exclusively in the world of white.

But recently, both Ermedeline and Valliere seemed to be leaning toward the world of gray.

Henry disliked ambiguity.

Unregulated relationships were exhausting.

Despite his wavering heart, Henry wanted, at the very least, to bring Valliere back to the world of white.

It stemmed from his desire that at least one person would live in the lonely world of white.

At that moment, in Henry’s mind, Ermedeline, who was the empress, appeared, but he remembered Valliere’s words of discontent: “I’m just a mistress,” revealing her true feelings.

Even though he couldn’t give Valliere the position of a wife, she was still the sole white spot in his desolate world.

That relentless black could no longer pretend to mimic the color white.

Henry believed that something was needed to make the bond between Valliere and himself even stronger.

‘I must discuss Valliere’s status with the ministers today.’

As Henry spoke those words upon his return from the orphanage grounds, as expected, the ministers’ expressions darkened significantly.

No matter how many nobles Henry killed in his quest to become emperor, giving the title of a marchioness to a commoner, and even worse, a bastard, was considered audacious, if not downright absurd.

The ministers, who were aware of how much Henry favored Valliere, couldn’t openly voice their complaints but wore disapproving expressions.

At that moment, the Duke of Ilyenian spoke up quietly.

“Have you not refrained from bestowing titles on Miss Valliere to grant her a better position all this time? Is there a sudden reason for granting her one now?”

Although the Duke of Ilyenian was currently in a precarious situation due to the incident at the funeral parlor, as the representative of the noble faction, he had to ask.

“That’s right. I did intend to grant her a higher title. However, lately, the titles that people are using to address Valliere have gone too far. Unmentionable words are circulating.”

Nobles, anyway, were more interested in gossip at social gatherings than in political matters. Among these, the affairs of the emperor’s court were particularly juicy material.

As a result, even without Henry specifying, the ministers were well aware of the titles people used for Valliere. Some of them even actively used these titles when they were among themselves.

“Recently, seeing the Empress establish an orphanage seems to have inspired Valliere as well. She expressed a desire to undertake more charitable work, and having a title would make it easier to carry out her initiatives.”

If the Emperor made the decision personally, what more could they say? It wasn’t as if receiving a title granted substantial power, after all.

The ministers, no longer inquiring further, were inclined to approve Valliere’s Marchioness title. However, Henry added unexpected words:

“I’m thinking of allocating a portion of the land that originally belonged to the marquessate to her. What do you lords think?”

“What did I just hear?”

Even the prominent member of the imperial faction, Duke Batistian, found it challenging to maintain his composure in the face of Henry’s audacious statement.

“Why? It’s land owned by the royal family anyway. Is it a problem if we give her some of it? Valliere should also start getting used to the sense of governance, shouldn’t she?”

Had it not been for the incident involving the empress’s funeral, the Duke of Ilyenian would have immediately countered Henry’s words.

However, with Princess Viella’s handmaiden still in Henry’s possession, there was no room for hasty actions.

Even the Duke of Ilyenian, who had remained silent, found himself unable to react at that moment.

But then, Duke Batistian, who had been quiet until then, finally spoke up.

“What if, instead of a salary from the government, we grant her some land? With a title and land, there would be no reason for her to receive support from the palace, right? Just a few acres of barren land should suffice. I believed it was better than having the government’s name on the royal family’s financial ledger.”

“Certainly, Duke’s proposal makes sense. What kind of land should we offer?”

With documents related to the land he intended to grant Valliere, Henri sought her out.

Even though it was a marquessate, it wasn’t a particularly large or fertile tract of land. Moreover, since it was land granted directly by the emperor, private troops couldn’t be stationed there. The taxes collected from the territory would be under Valliere’s control, but the garrison would consist of Henri’s soldiers.

However, it wasn’t entirely unfavorable. It was relatively close to the capital and had a decent location, with fields and a winding river, making it a reasonable place for tax collection. While it might be modest to call it a marquessate, Henri believed it would be quite helpful for Valliere’s education in estate management.

With a heart full of excitement, Henri sought out Valliere for the first time in a while.

Upon seeing Henri’s expression, she knew that her request had been granted.

‘As expected, it was a good move to bring up Ermedeline.’

“Now you’re officially Marchioness Belian!” Henri said, flashing a smile at his lover. It had been a while since he had smiled like this to her. Henri habitually opened his arms, waiting for Valliere to leap into his embrace.

However, Valliere had become an entirely different person and simply stared at Henri, bewildered.

Feeling embarrassed in this situation, Henri quickly lowered his arms and mumbled in a weak voice, “Right. You really seem to dislike being close to me now.”

It was only then that Valliere grasped the situation, but by that time, Henri’s gaze had already turned cold.

‘So, you wanted me to jump into your arms? Giving me a title was a lot to ask for, it seems. Seriously.’

Nevertheless, in an attempt to lighten the mood and match Henri’s feelings, Valliere forced a smile and lightly bumped her fist against his.

“What about the territory? Where is it?” Henri asked.

From the point where Henri touched Valliere, he felt an unpleasant shiver. Previously, when their bodies touched, he would experience a pleasant thrill and a warm sense of familiarity. It was almost contradictory to have these two feelings coexist, and many nights were spent with a smile on his face as he gently held Valliere’s hand while she slept beside him.

But what’s this?

They were clearly touching, yet it felt like they weren’t.

An unpleasant excitement and an uneasy shiver of touching someone else’s skin were the only sensations. No matter how much she had changed, she was still Valliere, his first love and long-time lover. Henri couldn’t understand why he was feeling these emotions.

“It’s land near the capital. It’s not large, but it should be helpful for you to study estate management.”

“Oh, near the capital? Then, would there be things like markets, temples, or a harbor within the territory?”

Impossible. How could he casually give away a marquessate of that size?

“The land isn’t suitable for a city. It’s a quaint place with a small hill and a river…”

“A hill and a river? What kind of taxes can come from there? Are there people living there? Then there must be no fields or farmlands, right?”

Seeing Valliere’s disappointed expression, Henri felt like he was once again facing an invisible barrier.

For the second time today.

His wife and lover were on the other side of the wall.

“Don’t you have any knowledge about managing a territory? You start small and learn step by step…”

Valliere slowly lowered her arm around Henri and spoke in a cold voice.

“Yes, you’re right. It wouldn’t make sense for a mistress born as a bastard child to have a prosperous territory.”

Not only had her personality changed, but she was also mocking him.

Henri didn’t want to respond anymore and returned to his office.

As he focused on his work, the chamberlain brought up a topic that he had forgotten about.

“National Holiday is approaching. Do you plan to entrust preparations to Miss Valliere… I mean, Marchioness Belian, as usual?”

Now that he thought about it, he had completely forgotten about the founding celebration due to the recent outbreak and border issues.

Preparing for the Trivian Empire’s National Holiday was originally the Empress’s responsibility. However, Henri had always entrusted the preparations to Valliere in order to establish her authority as his lover and, more recently, as Marchioness Belian.

Furthermore, the Founding Celebration was the most significant among the National Holiday events, and it was assumed that Valliere would handle it. Although the Chamberlain had asked as a formality, he believed that Valliere would naturally take charge.

However, Henri didn’t immediately respond. After a brief pause, while he twirled his pen, he decided to give Ermedeline an opportunity, the first since their engagement.

“Have planning proposals submitted by both the Empress and Valliere.”

***

“Planning proposals?”

Seeing Ermedeline’s bewildered expression upon hearing about the Founding Celebration, Rooney, who was standing nearby, let out an excited scream.

“Finally! Finally, it seems that His Majesty is giving Empress Her Highness a chance too!”

“A chance?”

“Yes! As far as I know, Valliere has been responsible for preparing all national events every year.”

“Oh… right. But why all of a sudden?”

Ermedeline became curious about Henri’s intentions, as it was quite unusual for him to suddenly entrust such an event to her, someone who was essentially his rival.

“Why, you ask? It’s because Your Highness the Empress has gained His Majesty’s trust! Recently, you’ve been doing good things, and she even brilliantly outshone the nobles in court!”

“Outshine the nobles? How?”

“Yes! You outshone them! If you want to stab me, stab me yourself! Isn’t that cool? Of course, I’ll take care of any scoundrels who try to get close to Your Highness the Empress first!”

Ermedeline, seeing Rooney enthusiastically gesturing even to the point of swinging her arms in the air, couldn’t muster the will to question when she became like this.

Rooney, this time with a determined look, clenched her fists and nodded.

“Yeah, that’s right. Truly reassuring. But I don’t really want to organize the event…”

“Why not? How can you say that when the Founding Celebration is so amazing? I used to go with my sister every year when I was little! There’s the noble parade, fireworks, and so much delicious food being sold in the square!”

“But this year, it might be better not to have such a large-scale event due to the epidemic…”

“That’s true, but it’s a great opportunity! A golden chance to outshine Valliere!”

Although the epidemic’s spread had been significantly curbed since the decree prohibiting saliva exchange, the area around the capital was still grappling with the disease. In Ermedeline’s world, it was common sense to avoid gatherings where many people congregated, but the locals didn’t seem to share that concern.

Ermedeline thought she should plan the event in line with the perspective of those who considered the epidemic a divine punishment.

“I don’t have any intention of competing with Valliere, but it looks like I’ll have to write a proposal. We should aim for a format that minimizes contact among the people.”